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puniness

puniness

7.0
A state of being small, weak, or not important
  • noun
  • /ˈpjuːniˌnəs/
translation icon : pequeñez

The battles are so brutal because the stakes are so puny and so much of his pettiness and puniness.

Examples

  • Escape, probably relief from the puniness around her.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • But we try to rise above our puniness compared with our problems and pretend that we have solutions and explanations that will take away much of the mystery of life and history and make everything clear.

    Blog text (13)
  • The same words had been uttered millions of times before and would be uttered millions of times again, but, like "once upon a time," the words continued to instill, despite the puniness of the utterer himself, wonder and awe.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The puniness of his excuses made it clear that he was not taking the matter seriously.

  • Despite the puniness of her frame, she demonstrated great strength and determination.

  • They realized the puniness of their worries in the grand scheme of life.

Synonyms

triviality
vspuniness
6 5.4

A small detail that does not matter

also implies smallness or weakness beyond mere lack of importance
smallness
vspuniness
1 1.6

The state of being not large in size or amount

adds that reduced size often comes with weakness or low importance
tininess
vspuniness
1 4.3

The condition of being very small

adds an idea of weakness or low importance to the smallness
negligibility
vspuniness
8.6

So small or unimportant that it does not matter

is small or weak but can still be relevant or noticed
slightness
vspuniness
6.6

A small matter that people think is unimportant and easy to ignore

adds a sense of reduced size or weakness as well
tenuousness
vspuniness
8.1

A weak or slight state often about ideas and relationships

includes that weakness but also stresses small size or unimportance
littleness
vspuniness
5.9

A state of being small in size

combines that physical smallness with weakness or low significance
diminutiveness
vspuniness
9.1

The state of being very small in size

is similar but also stresses lack of strength or impact
runtiness
vspuniness
9.2

Being much smaller than others of the same kind

covers that smallness but also suggests low strength or importance

Antonyms

194 3.8

How important something is or how much it matters

14 5.9

An impressive size or beauty that makes people admire it

How Small

tininess
1 4.3
puniness
7.0
smallness
1 1.6

Surface Forms

puniness singular
puninesses plural

Morphology

puniness = puny (transparent) = puny + ness

A regular nominalization of the adjective 'puny' with '-ness', producing the quality or state of being puny.

Etymology

Puniness comes from the word puny, which comes from the old French puisné, meaning 'born later' and used for a younger, weaker child. So, puniness means being small, weak, or unimportant.